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In this article you will learn:
403 Forbidden Error
You can identify error 403 by the large heading Forbidden at the top of the page. Under the heading you will find a more detailed description of the error. The page tab shows the text 403 Forbidden.
Resolving Error 403
Error 403 can have various causes. Based on the message under the heading Forbidden, you can isolate the specific cause, but if you are not sure, go through the entire procedure.
The steps in this procedure are:
- Fixing file permissions
- Checking files on FTP
- Activating HTTPS
- Checking CMS settings
- Support intervention
When verifying the solution, reload the page using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + R, which bypasses the browser cache. If the shortcut does not work, clear the browser cache.
Fixing File Permissions
Fixing file permissions will ensure the browser can access all website files and folders. Restricting these permissions is one of the most common causes of Error 403.
Fixing file permissions may take up to several dozen minutes depending on the number of Webhosting files.
Proceed as follows:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select Hosting Services Webhosting or WMS.
- Select the service for which you want to fix the file permissions.
- In the left menu, select Tools.
In the File Permission Repair table, click the Fix file permissions button.
If fixing file permissions did not help, continue with checking files on FTP.
Checking Files on FTP
Before any FTP intervention, we strongly recommend backing up the files according to the guide Webhosting – Backup.
If the problem with file access was not caused by their permissions, the files necessary for the website to operate are probably damaged or deleted.
For the next step, log in to FTP, for example via the WebFTP ⧉ interface (manual) using the main FTP account. If you do not know the login details, follow the guide Webhosting – FTP Accounts.
First, check that in the root directory (root) there are only the session, tmp, and www folders.
If any of the folders is missing, create it (a detailed guide can be found in the article Webhosting – Basic FTP directory structure). If you see completely different folders, first make sure you are indeed in the root folder of the account, which only the main FTP account can access.
In the next step, verify that the www folder contains:
- The .htaccess file (including the dot at the beginning).
- Website files including the index.html file (alternatively index.php), the domains folder (or subdom), or both.
If the .htaccess file is missing, restore it in the Webhosting Tools (the same access as for Fixing File Permissions, but the box Restore default .htaccess).
If your www folder contains CMS files (for example WordPress), upload the .htaccess file from a working installation or from a backup here. The default .htaccess will probably not work.
If the index.html or index.php file is missing, restore it from a backup or from a working CMS installation. If your website is in a subfolder of the domains directory (or subdom for subdomains), you do not need an index file in the www folder.
If the website files and the domains folder (or subdom) are missing, the website was completely deleted. If you do not have your own backup, you can try requesting ours according to the guide Webhosting – Backup.
Finally, verify the contents of the domains folder, or the subdom folder.
- The domains folder should ideally contain other folders with the full names of domains or subdomains on which the websites run. Only inside these folders should the website files be located, again the index.html or index.php files.
- The subdom folder works similarly to domains, but contains folders named after subdomains without the domain suffix. Inside these folders are the index.html or index.php files.
If all files are in order and Error 403 persists, check the contents of all .htaccess files to see whether they contain code for blocking content according to this pattern:
order deny,allow deny from all // deny access to everyone allow from X.Y.Z.Ž // allow access to the listed IP addresses
This code will display Error 403 to anyone who tries to view the contents of the folder it is in from an IP address other than the one in the allow list.
Activating HTTPS
In some cases, Error 403 can be caused by a problem with HTTPS settings. According to the guide Webhosting – Manual HTTPS setup, check that your domain is added to a certificate that has been active for at least 30 minutes.
Checking CMS Settings
Content management systems (typically the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress) may restrict access to certain file types. If you notice Error 403 on files of a certain type or in a certain folder that otherwise seems fine, check the CMS or plugin settings.
Support Intervention
If none of the above steps resolves Error 403, you can ask customer support to review the problem.
Support will not perform the intervention for you; it can only point out a possible source of the problem. Detailed information about the scope of support work can be found on the Customer Support ⧉ page.
Proceed as follows:
- Activate temporary FTP access for support according to this guide.
- Contact support via the form ⧉. Provide the website name, a detailed description of the problem (for example, if the error appears only in specific cases), and information about the activation of temporary FTP access.
- Wait. If the intervention takes longer than the temporary FTP access period, keep it open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if nothing in the guide helped me?
Request a support intervention ⧉ and wait for a response. These interventions are beyond standard support, so processing the request may take much longer than the usual response time.
Can I somehow ensure that correct permissions are also set for newly uploaded files?
Not on our side. Check the manual of your FTP client or another mechanism you use to upload files. Alternatively, you can fix the permissions with your own PHP script run periodically via CRON.
I set up WordPress security according to this guide ⧉ and now I cannot access the administration due to Error 403. What should I do?
Check that you are accessing it from the IP address allowed according to the 2nd chapter of the article ⧉. If you cannot rely on the connection from that IP address, it is better not to use this security method.
Does Error 403 occur elsewhere besides WEDOS?
Yes, it is a common error caused by the unavailability of key files on the server. The server (webhosting) works without problems; the fix consists of setting the correct file permissions and verifying access to the website’s key files.